Norwegian Americans make their own bunads, inspired by their new and old country
The Minnesota denim bunads express a connection to both Norway and the United States.
Norwegian Americans make their own festive costumes or buy bunads in Norway. Amy Jo Martinson (second from the right) designs festive costumes in Colorado. This photo was taken at Trollheim Sons of Norway Lodge in Lakewood, Colorado.(Photo: Private)
Every year, Amy Jo Martinson celebrates Norway's national day in Colorado. She bakes kransekake, a traditional Norwegian cake, puts on her bunad inspired dress, and joins the parade and picnic.
The bunad is the traditional Norwegian dress, worn for celebrations, like the National Day, weddings and baptisms, and tied to specific regions, counties or valleys.
"My family on both sides comes from Norway. My mother had a bunad made for her on her many trips to Norway, but I design my own dresses inspired by bunads," Martinson says.
She discovered the trend on social media, and gets the materials for the dresses from Norway.
"A friend of mine said that not all dresses can become a bunad inspired dress, but why not? There are no rules," Martinson believes.
Many of the people in Spring Grove, Minnesota are descendants of Norwegian immigrants.
In the small town they celebrate Norway's national day with a children’s parade on May 16th and a larger parade on May 17th.
"The parade has marching bands, Viking ships, and folk dancers, but also floats from local businesses. It's very American," says Joseph Grødahl.
He is the director of the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center.
In the parade Norwegian Americans wear bunads that have been passed down through the family or that they have bought in Norway. Some wear bunads designed in the United States.
In many places in the USA, Norway’s national day is celebrated with an American-style parade and ever more bunads. Here from Seattle in 2025.(Photo: 17th of May Seattle)
Norwegian woman in bunad in Wisconsin around the year 1900. A few years ago, a Norwegian American bunad was designed for Wisconsin.(Photo: Telemark Museum)
Bunad from Minnesota and Norway
In 2018, a group of women from Spring Grove designed a casual bunad. It's a plain outfit with a blue denim dress, a white blouse, and a white apron with traditional clasps.
"Denim is closely tied to American identity, and it was workwear before it became fashion. Farming, hard work, simple and practical clothing, all of that is part of our identity as a local community," says Grødahl.
The first Norwegian immigrants arrived in Minnesota in 1854. They settled in Spring Grove.
The bunad from Spring Grove shows belonging both to Spring Grove in the USA and to Norway.(Photo: Giants of the Earth Heritage Center)
They did not bring their bunads with them
Norwegians who left for the United States in the 1800s did not pack their bunads in their travel trunks.
"They knew that people dressed differently in America, so they did not want to take the space for clothing that they did not know if they would were," says Laurann Gilbertson.
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She is the chief curator at the Vesterheim Museum in Iowa.
"But they often brought a piece or two from the bunad, such as a bodice inset, a woven band, or a brooch," she says.
Laurann Gilbertson is chief curator at the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Iowa. Many Norwegian immigrants also settled there.(Photo: Anders Moen Kaste)
From Norwegian-inspired outfits to full bunads
Over time, Norwegian Americans began looking for ways to express their Norwegian heritage. One important moment came in 1925, during the 100th anniversary of Norwegian immigration.
"Back then, people wore simplified, Norwegian-looking costumes made with materials they could get here," says Gilbertson.
Over time, especially after World War II, the interest in the bunad began to grow, often after visits to Norway or when new Norwegian immigrants arrived.
"Since the 1970s, the bunad has become increasingly popular. Now people want the bunad connected to their family and the place in Norway where they came from," says Gilbertson.
17 May celebration in Brooklyn, New York, in 1943. After the war, interest in bunads grew.(Photo: NTB)
The place they left and the place they arrived
"It's exciting for Norwegian Americans to find out where in Norway they come from. And it's special to visit the places where their ancestors lived before they emigrated," says Joseph Grødahl.
"I experienced that myself when I visited the Grødahl farm in Sunndalen, where my great-great-grandfather lived," he adds.
Joseph Grødahl is director of the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center in Spring Grove. He is wearing a busserull.(Photo: Anders Moen Kaste)
But also the places where the immigrants first settled are an important part of the identity for their descendants. Grødahl is surprised by how many people visit Spring Grove because this was the first place their great-great-grandparents lived in America.
"We also have history and roots tied to specific places here in the United States. That's why we want to create an official bunad from Spring Grove that can represent identity and belonging to this place, just as the bunad does in Norway," says Grødahl.
The plan is to build on the their casual bunad by adding more decorative details while preserving its simple and practical character. The dress should also remain affordable, so people can sew it themselves or have it sewn for them.
“It's important to us that every element can be recognised as Spring Grove,” Grødahl explains.
A design group has already proposed new ribbons, brooches, and adjustments to the costume itself. On May 17th, people voted on three ribbon designs and three brooch designs.
These are the proposed new ribbons for the Spring Grove bunad, created with the help of AI. The top design is inspired by the rose-painting on the water tower in Spring Grove. The middle design is inspired by rose-painting from Telemark. The bottom design depicts immigrant settlement and cultivation of the land. All the designs include local plants, wheat, and oats.(Image: Giants of the Earth Heritage Center)
The new bunad with its brooch will be unveiled at a large festival next year, when people with roots in Spring Grove visit the town.
The third generation wants to be Norwegian again
Norwegian traditions are kept alive through Norwegian-American associations. Bunad style shows are a regular feature at festivals.
“People now want bunads that connect them directly to the places their families came from in Norway. The story behind the bunad becomes a way to preserve and share the immigrant history,” says Laurann Gilbertson.
The busserull, the traditional shirt worn by farmers and workers in Norway, is also used to express Norwegian roots.
“Many Americans wear the busserull today if they want to show their Norwegianness. Many people also wear Norwegian knitted sweaters or simply a T-shirt with Norwegian words or the flag,” says Gilbertson.
She believes the bunad’s journey in Norwegian America is typical of immigrant communities.
“The first generation want to look American. The next generation are happy being
American, but often it's the third generation or the fourth generation that
say they are also Norwegian and want to learn about Norway and show their Norwegianness," says Gilbertson.
